The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-12-30
coRBIN TO THE EMPLOYEES.
Its President States the Position of
the Reading Company.

NEW YORK, Dec. 29.-Austin Corbin, pres
ident of the Reading Railroad, plainly de-
fined the position of the company towards Its
employees in a letter given out today. IL
says: ITO such Of our old employees who
have stood by us, we feel obliged and thank
full, and shall not forget them; but the time
has now arrived when all of our employees
will be required to decide whether they ex-
pect to retain their places by reason Of hon
est and faithful service, and prompt obedi-
ence to the orders of the company that en-
ploys them, or to lose their positions by
blind obedience to the direction Of the
Knights Of Labor, through which organiza-
tion their leaders hope to coerce us into the
employment of men who consider their first
obedience due to that order. The men that
stand by us will have employment with rea-
paid by any other corporation OF similar
character. The men who do not, will never
be allowed on the road again, under any cir
cumstance. We have never objected to labor
organizations, and do not now. Every man
shall be free TO belong to one or not, as he
pleases, but the heads Of such orders cannot
and shall not dictate to this company as to
whom it shall employ, or how to operate lts
property. There has been nothing to arbi-
trate. 1t is only question as TO whether
tDe company Will De perlnlLLtu W OpcldbC i.o
own property, or whether that property shall
be controlled by the Knights of Labor.
Every wheel which is turned on the Reading
system shall be turned on the orders OF the
company, and under the orders OF nobody
else"
Charges by the knights.
The Knights of Labor of New York city
charge President Corbin and Superintendent
Sweigard, of the Reading road, with bad
faith in their dealings with tho strikers.
They say a committee of the men we're given
to understand that all of the strikers were
to be put back to work, and that Sweigard
gave an order to that effect. Subsequently
he issued another order, that the leaders,
about 400 In number, should not be re- em-
ployed. The committee. therefore, decided
to call the men out again, but they say tnat
the telegraph authorities positively refused
to send their despatch over the wires.
The Knights Abandoned.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 29.-Local Assem-
blies Nos. 10 and 2l5, Knights of Labor,
comprising all the men in Philadelphia en-
gagged in passenger service on the Reading
railroad, including telegraph operators, and
numbering 1000 Den, have surrendered their
charters and disbanded. They preferred to
leave the order rather than obey the order to
Stlihc, WhiCu thCJ OAPCSeoN W AS~es'e'
Strike Of Miners Predicted.
About 250 delegates, representing Reading
employees from many points, met in secret
session tonight. They had not adjourned at
a late hour. Chairman Lee, of the executive
committee, says there will be strike OF the
miners in the Schuylzill and Wyoming re-
gion, as well as in the Lehigh region.
Affairs on the Pennsylvania.
PIrTsBURe, Pa.-Dec. pa prominent
official ieil OF Pennsylvania Railroad stated
today that while there was n0>truth in the
rumor Of sstrike on their system, the men
have requested an advance in wages. He
could not say whether it would be granted or
not, but he felt there would be no strike
Have Enough Employees.
READING, Pa, Dec. 2s-The Reading COM
pany has about obtained all the help they
need Trains are running ON time and the
superintendent says he expects to send $50
cars of coal freight to Philadelphia to-
night. Train hands on the Fraskville
branch have nearly all resumed work. SUI
perintendent Lawler of Mahan0y and Sham
okin district, telegraphs that he expects to
have full complement Of men tomorrow.
A dozen engineers were sent from Philadel-
phia to Shamokin today. The officials here
say the strike is over and they do not anticl-
pate the least trouble. Superintendent Cable
says the company is running the road now
and the Knights are not likely to be consult
ed hereafter.